This area is for discussions that do not fit into the formal firearms discussions of the website. Common sense and non-controversial contributions are expected. Certain topics are forbidden. See the forum rules for more details.

Recently I've been reviewing some of the complaints by people who don't like that they're being moderated. There is a belief among those who witness "enforcement" by the moderators as being picked on, and a perception that there is a lack of consistency in enforcement. The moderators here are a voluntary force, but the forums offer you the option to self-police your friends. Every post has a ! button which you can use to report concerns. Every member has a PM button which you may use to send them a polite PM and explain to them if you feel they're being a little inappropriate.

The moderators typically do NOT delete a post or a thread unless it is spam or abuse. The vast majority of every moderator action that consists of a post or thread "going away" is the result of that discussion being moved into a hidden area of the forums where the moderation team, as a group, discusses how to proceed. If a moderator is involved in a dispute they tend to recuse themselves from the decision making on their own accord. There in no clique, there is no coordinated effort to allow "friends" to get away with anything. Recently, I was moderated, and it wasn't a joke. I neglected to realize someone I posted was already being discussed here! There are hundreds of posts made every day, and enforcement of the rules is best described as the squeaky wheel getting the most attention - which leads people to think we're selectively enforcing the rules.

That means if a "questionable" post shows up at the time a moderator logs in because the thread in question is popular, you're going to perceive it as them picking on you while other potential "rule violations" may go unnoticed because a specific moderator isn't interested in that forum or area of discussion. Just like everyone here, our moderators have different interests and may not be as likely to go into the reloading or open carry forum. Enforcement of the rules is typically final, so bickering about a post being removed publicly is going to get you moderated again -- if you want to appeal a decision PM other moderators or Dan/myself, but keep in mind these decisions to remove entire threads are usually made as a group, usually with discussion preceding the removal. There are cases where we discuss and reverse a removal and put the thread right back where it was, or in another more appropriate area of the website. It DOES happen, and our moderators are first to admit we're all human.

For every complaint we get that the moderation staff is "too picky" we get twice as many compliments that the forums remain usable and troll-free. The vast majority of people appreciate the job these guys do in making this effort presentable to the public and usable by the rest of you. There are people who we all know come here for the sole purpose of challenging the moderators, some of them going so far as admitting they want to see how long it'll take to get their account disabled. (Which is a good way to get me to step in and shut your account off instead of watching the moderators give you every benefit of the doubt, which they will do) - This is the reality of the internet, and we're dealing with it here.

With respect to religious discussion - it was never our intent to prohibit it, but history tells us that literally 100% of all religious discussions here turned into a flaming war of words that created a substantial burden for our moderators to play referee (which is hard to do when you yourself have religious convictions) One of our prior moderators pointed to a policy on another gun rights forum where all discussion of a religious nature was prohibited. Knowing that the vast majority of people likely to frequent the forum would be impacted by this we didn't take this lightly -- but the fact is that we created the organization and the forums for the purpose of discussing firearms issues and the flame wars were clouding the issue. We take a very similar approach when endorsing political candidates - we may not agree with the overall political philosophy of a candidate but the recommendation of this organization needs to focus primarily on that candidate's record in our arena - gun rights. It might not be a popular rule, but its one we're not going to reverse because its effective at keeping the forums on topic.

If you feel you could do a better job, start doing it, or tell me how we could do it better.

Contrary to a popular belief when I brag about OFCC accomplishments I'm not looking for your thank you or personal recognition. I'd much prefer you send me an email telling me when you are going to get involved in doing what I've been doing since 1999. We are only as effective as we make ourselves. We need the next generation of OFCC to step to the plate.

In an effort to make the rules and regulations here more clear to new accounts this PM is automatically generated and inserted into the inbox of every new account. If you created an account in the past few months and didn't get this message or one like it, you may want to review it...

--snip--

Welcome to Ohioans For Concealed Carry's popular discussion forums, {USERNAME}!

This message is automated, but it was written by the moderation team and me in an effort to welcome new community members and also point out very important information that many people seem to miss.

First, there is a huge misconception that creating an account here means you're now a member of Ohioans For Concealed Carry. If you have not joined the organization I would like to personally invite you to do so online today. Without the contributions from thousands of Ohioans, this organization would not be able to continue to do what we have for concealed carry and gun rights reform. Once you've joined, you'll receive our newsletter along with some special items we hope you'll enjoy. This is our way of saying "Thanks!"

Dues paying members also get a Site Supporter icon next to their name in the discussion forums so that everyone knows you're a contributor. It looks like this: ...if you're already a member, click here and send Daniel a PM with your name and OFCC Membership ID #.

You need to be informed.

Whether or not you become a member, you need to join our email alert list. Its free & emails are kept to a minimum. This allows us to give critical, breaking information to every gun owning Ohioan regarding gun laws, lawsuits, etc. Sign up here and get your friends to do the same

Second, we are well known for running a very tight ship and pride ourselves on having some amazing volunteer moderators who enforce our rules. Troublemakers, or trolls as they're called on the Internet, tend to complain about our rules, but you'll find that forum users stay here because the community thrives in the environment we have created. We frown upon any hate speech, cop bashing and we have a strict policy on religious discussion...quite frankly its prohibited here. In our early years we suffered numerous religious "flame wars" and attracted quite a handful of trolls who would bait people into fighting over religious points of view. Therefore, religious threads, signatures, and avatars are prohibited.

You're reading this PM (Private Message) in your inbox, and if you look above you'll see a profile tab. When you're done here click on that and populate the Location field with something meaningful, such as your city, county, or geographic area. Should you list an item for sale in our forums (free for non-commercial posts) the potential buyers will want to know if you're a local seller or not. Finally, once you've entered your location, click on this discussion in our forums, click the Post Reply button, and introduce yourself to the community.

That reminds me that new users are moderated. This means that until our moderators feel that you didn't create an account to Spam the forums, all of your posts will sit in the moderation queue and remain there until approved (unfortunately it's become a necessity). After a random number of approved posts you'll be free to roam undeterred.

I strongly recommend that you don't make your first few posts here as a seller in the For Sale/Trades/Wanted section. Selling of items and not contributing to the community forum discussions tend to makes us feel used and we won't approve those posts.

On behalf of our moderators and my fellow board members - Welcome to the Forums, and thank you for any support you lend to the cause.

Contrary to a popular belief when I brag about OFCC accomplishments I'm not looking for your thank you or personal recognition. I'd much prefer you send me an email telling me when you are going to get involved in doing what I've been doing since 1999. We are only as effective as we make ourselves. We need the next generation of OFCC to step to the plate.

I, for one, think this forum is more strictly moderated than most other online forums. And that is the principal reason why I spend my time here and not on most other online forums. I don't care to see the juvenile bickering, griping and other off-topic drifts which abound elsewhere.

So, I say good job to the moderators and keep it up.

NRA Benefactor Life Member

Information posted in these forums is my personal opinion only. It is not intended, nor should it be construed, as legal advice.

sodbuster95 wrote:I, for one, think this forum is more strictly moderated than most other online forums. And that is the principal reason why I spend my time here and not on most other online forums. I don't care to see the juvenile bickering, griping and other off-topic drifts which abound elsewhere.

So, I say good job to the moderators and keep it up.

My sentiments, exactly. I've been on women's sites that bicker and get catty. I prefer it here.

sodbuster95 wrote:I, for one, think this forum is more strictly moderated than most other online forums. And that is the principal reason why I spend my time here and not on most other online forums. I don't care to see the juvenile bickering, griping and other off-topic drifts which abound elsewhere.

So, I say good job to the moderators and keep it up.

My sentiments, exactly. I've been on women's sites that bicker and get catty. I prefer it here.

Yup.

I can get my "wild" fix over at Arfcom, though I rarely bother. I come here for CLASSY conversation.

Since the door is open....Before we all sing Kumbaya, I'd just like to point out the unfounded rudeness that's being displayed towards prospective members. If they post something that warrants a kick in the shorts that's fair game. But if a sincere question or statement is made and they get snubbed or railroaded (I'll leave out the whos and whats) what incentive do they have to join? Not only is that squandered educational opportunities, that's lost revenue. And face it, this place runs on money. Not posts or threads.

Sorry [deleted -- TR], but like most of you I've been on every pro gun site in the US and Canada and the bar on this forum is raised higher than most. That's why I chose to join THIS one.

sodbuster95 wrote:I, for one, think this forum is more strictly moderated than most other online forums. And that is the principal reason why I spend my time here and not on most other online forums. I don't care to see the juvenile bickering, griping and other off-topic drifts which abound elsewhere.

So, I say good job to the moderators and keep it up.

My sentiments, exactly. I've been on women's sites that bicker and get catty. I prefer it here.

Yup.

I can get my "wild" fix over at Arfcom, though I rarely bother. I come here for CLASSY conversation.

....... .........

Life is full of God given coincidences..A MEMBER OF OFCC SINCE 2004...